"Chinese Bridge" language competition held in Melbourne

MELBOURNE, May 17 (Xinhua) -- The 13th annual Melbourne " Chinese Bridge" Proficiency Competition for students of Chinese language and culture was held here Saturday at the RMIT University in association with the local Confucius Institute.

Chinese deputy Consul-General in Melbourne Huang Guobin told the 160-strong audience and students who attended the opening ceremony that the competition is a bridge of friendship and culture exchange, through which Australian students would have more exchanges with Chinese students and know more about Chinese language and culture.

"Languages are carriers of national cultures, and they represent the civilization of nations. Chinese language has a history of thousands years, and the Chinese civilization has immense impact on the world, with efforts from both sides, I strongly believe Chinese culture will eventually become popular in the vast land of Australia," said Huang.

A total of seven students from local universities joined the competition, which was divided into two parts -- a speech on the theme "My Chinese Dream" and a Chinese cultural performance.

After nearly three hours of intense competition, Shahzad Billinoria from Monash University won the competition.

The 13th "Chinese Bridge" competition, a Chinese language contest for non-native Chinese speaking college students is underway around the world.

Launched in 2002, the "Chinese Bridge" project played an ever- growing role in promoting the study of Chinese language and culture.